The current popularity of wood- and coal-burning stoves for residential use has created an increased demand for means by which the ash produced can be cleanly and conveniently removed and disposed of. Ideally, such a device would be of simple and inexpensive construction, and portable to permit ready removal, so as to avoid detracting from the appearance of the stove. Units for handling ash and the like have been proposed in the past, but frequently they are too complex and/or expensive for practical use in the home, or they are simply not suited to the intended purpose.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,765,871, Johnson discloses a dust collector that is adapted for mounting upon a receptacle, into which ashes are emptied; the draft through a chimney is utilized for dust control. The device is entirely unsuited for use with a stove, and because it must be attached to a chimney it is not truly portable.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,141,812, Fales Sr. discloses a cleanout device for an oil burning stove, which is utilized to remove accumulated soot. The device comprises a hollow cylindrical body which is adapted to embrace the outer end of the cleanout sleeve, and has a scraper member secured therewithin; it is similarly unsuited for use in removing stove ashes.
The heating plant disclosed in McIntire U.S. Pat. No. 2,209,531, incorporates an internal partition or bridge wall, to define a storage chamber for clinkers. The clinkers can be transferred with a suitable hook or poker to the storage chamber, where they can be cooled and/or removed at the convenience of the operator.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,445,050, Wilhite discloses a clinker oven which includes a drawer that is connected to the furnace through an angled upper housing section, which is closed by an access door. The device is designed for permanent attachment to the stove, in replacement of the firing door; it is therefore not portable, and would interfere with loading of wood. Due to the limited length of the upper connecting section, moreover, the draft of the stove would not be effective to minimize the discharge of airborne ash to the living area.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel device for use in removing ash from a stove or the like, which device is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and is nevertheless highly effective in minimizing the amounts of fines and dust that are released during ash-removal operations.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a portable device having the foregoing features and advantages, which utilizes the draft of the stove to substantially prevent the escape of airborne ash.